Our faithful readers know this already that the social game I’ve been wanting for the iPhone is Zynga’s Facebook game: FarmVille. Last night, TAG Games’ attempt and frequently previewed title Astro Ranch finally arrives in store for $2.99:

Blasting off from earth, Sindy and Max the intrepid Starlight twins set off for an adventure beyond the stars. Watch out! Disaster is close at hand! Grow crops, raise livestock and then kick back, go fishing or make friends with the locals. All this and much, much more…

Features

• The first ever space themed farming game.
• Amazing alien world bought to life with awesome 3D graphics.
• Ranch management and quest based game-play.
• Wide variety of alien crops, animals, tools and upgrades.
• Fishing, gold panning and tree shaking mini-games.
• Social features allow you to connect and compete with friends
• Customise your game with downloadable clothes and décor (additional cost)

First Impressions

I have been playing the game for quite some time now and let me tell you, it’s actually deeper than what you think it’s going to be. To say this is FarmVille in space actually doesn’t foot the bill since there’s much more to this game than farming, clue: fishing.

I haven’t added any friends yet to see if you can visit other people’s farms but here’s what I do know: the game uses in-game time instead of standard time. Astro Ranch’s game clock moves faster than the regular clock which is an interesting choice.

Watch out for our full review hopefully coming as early as tomorrow!